If you want to wake up feeling refreshed and energized, say goodbye to these 7 bedtime habits – VegOut

Let’s be real: waking up refreshed is the new luxury flex.

In a world of hustle culture, 5 a.m. club influencers, and productivity gurus downing mushroom coffee, we’ve glorified early mornings—but no one’s talking about the stuff we do the night before that wrecks them.

Sleep isn’t just about how many hours you get. It’s about how you wind down. And most of us are unknowingly doing things before bed that sabotage our sleep quality. Then we wake up groggy, drag ourselves through the day, and wonder if we need to cut carbs or start microdosing sunlight.

Spoiler: You probably just need to stop doing these seven things before bed.

1. Doomscrolling like it’s your part-time job

Look, I get it. You open TikTok to check one recipe, and suddenly you’re 43 videos deep into “people who disappeared mysteriously and were never found.” Or worse, the algorithm hits you with a “clean girl” nighttime routine while you’re lying in three-day-old pajamas next to a half-eaten rice cake.

Doomscrolling might feel like relaxing, but it’s mentally overstimulating. The constant hit of information—news, drama, opinions, memes—keeps your brain in high-alert mode, not wind-down mode.

What to do instead:
Set a “digital sunset.” That means putting your phone on airplane mode or Do Not Disturb 30-60 minutes before bed. Replace the scroll with something analog—a book, journaling, or even stretching. Yes, it’ll feel weird at first. Withdrawal is real. But so is better sleep.

2. Eating late-night snacks that mess with your sleep cycle

This one hurts me personally because I’ve been known to do late-night reviews of vegan cheesy puffs. But here’s the truth: what you eat before bed matters. Heavy meals, spicy food, and high-sugar snacks can disrupt your body’s natural sleep rhythm.

They mess with your digestion, blood sugar, and even core temperature—all things that impact how deeply you sleep and whether you wake up feeling like a slightly haunted version of yourself.

The fix:
If you must snack, stick with something light and sleep-friendly: a banana with almond butter, a few walnuts, or chamomile tea with oat milk. Just don’t turn your bed into a snack lounge. Trust me, crumbs kill the vibe.

3. Drinking alcohol to “wind down”

Ah yes, the sneaky one. Alcohol might feel like a sedative—it helps you fall asleep faster—but it’s actually a sleep disruptor in disguise.

That glass of wine or nightcap lowers sleep quality, interrupts REM cycles, and often leads to 3 a.m. wakeups with a racing heart and regret. You might fall asleep quicker, but you’ll wake up feeling like you got hit by a kombucha truck.

What to try instead:
If you want a wind-down ritual, swap the booze for a calming alternative. I’m a fan of magnesium drinks, herbal teas, or even a vegan moon milk blend (yes, that’s a thing, and it’s delicious).

4. Taking your stress to bed with you (literally)

You can’t fight cortisol with a lavender pillow spray.

If your mind is racing with thoughts like “Did I reply to that email?” or “Why did I say that thing in 2017?”—your body isn’t going to shift into sleep mode. You’re still mentally in fight-or-flight.

Many of us go from work to Netflix to bed without ever processing the stress of the day. That unprocessed energy doesn’t vanish—it just keeps spinning until 2 a.m.

The solution:
Introduce a “mental cleanse” before bed. This could be journaling, breathwork, or a simple brain dump—write down everything you’re thinking, even if it’s chaotic. Let the page hold your stress so your bed doesn’t have to.

5. Having zero bedtime routine (and thinking it doesn’t matter)

Not having a routine is a routine—it just happens to suck.

Your body thrives on rhythm. If you’re crashing at different times each night, doing random things before bed, and expecting to sleep like a baby, you’re setting yourself up for chaos.

Think of your bedtime routine as a signal to your body: “Hey, it’s safe to power down now.”

What to build:
Start small. Choose 2–3 calming things to do every night before bed: light stretching, skincare, reading, or listening to a calming playlist. (I’ve got a lo-fi Spotify mix called “Sleepy Peaches” if you’re curious.)

Once it becomes a ritual, your body will start recognizing the signs—and falling asleep gets easier.

6. Using your bed as your office, dining table, or social media throne

This one’s for the WFH crew and the snackers (yes, I see you). When your bed becomes a place for eating, scrolling, working, and watching YouTube documentaries on mushroom farming, your brain stops associating it with sleep.

It’s classic Pavlovian conditioning. If your brain links your bed with stimulation, you’ll lie down and feel wired, not sleepy.

The move:
Reclaim your bed as a sleep-only zone. No laptops. No snacks. No reality TV. Treat your bed like a sacred space for rest—and maybe a little romance, but that’s another article.

7. Skipping wind-down movement because you think you’re too tired

Here’s a plot twist: light movement before bed can improve your sleep quality. Many people skip it thinking they need to stay still—but gentle movement can help release tension, calm your nervous system, and transition you into rest mode.

You don’t need to do a full yoga flow. Even 5 minutes of deep breathing while lying on your back with your legs up against the wall can work wonders.

Try this sequence:

• 1 minute of box breathing (inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4)

• 2 minutes legs-up-the-wall pose

• 2 minutes of neck or shoulder rolls in bed

You’ll be surprised how much more grounded—and sleepy—you feel afterward.

Bonus: The mindset trap of “I’ll just push through it tomorrow”

This one isn’t a habit so much as a belief system. And it’s a toxic one.

The idea that you can always catch up, power through, or caffeinate your way into productivity? It’s a myth. Chronic sleep sabotage catches up with you. You’re not weak for needing good sleep. You’re human.

Reframing the narrative:
You’re not being lazy by prioritizing rest. You’re being strategic. Sleep is the foundation for everything else: focus, creativity, energy, mood.

So let’s stop treating it like an afterthought. Let it be the main character.

Final thoughts from someone who’s tried all the wrong things

I’ve spent too many nights up late reviewing vegan protein cookies and convincing myself that three hours of sleep was “fine.” (Spoiler: it wasn’t.)

But once I started changing these bedtime habits—even just one at a time—I stopped waking up feeling like a knocked-over succulent. I felt rested, energized, even excited to get out of bed. (Which is wild, considering I’m not a morning person unless a new lo-fi album drops.)

So here’s my challenge to you: pick one of these habits and say goodbye to it this week. Just one.

Then watch what happens.

You might just wake up one morning and realize—you feel good.

Like, naturally good. No adaptogens required.